Gary Priestley : About Me

Gary Priestley - 05-Sep-2016

Hello,

My name is Gary Priestley. I'm 46 years old been married to Michelle for 24 years and we have 6 children (all boys) aged from 23 to 13yo twins. I'm only
weeks away from being a grand-father for the first time (yikes!) Update:I'm now a grand-father, my beautiful grand-daughter Phoebe Michelle Rosalind
Priestley was born on 5th January 2014 weighing a healthy 8lb 9oz and my 2nd grand-daughter was born January 1st 2015 weighing 6lb 3oz they've named
her Paige.

I left school in 1987 & worked for my dad as a board-marker in his betting shop in Newton Abbot. In 1990 I set up my own bookmakers with my older brother
Gavin; we had shops in Goodrington, Torquay, Porthcawl & Poole called Gee & Gee Turf-Accountants. We sold them in 2001.

I've been backing horses seriously since Gay Kelleway and Sprowston Boy won the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot in 1987. I talked a few of my school
mates into clubbing together our dinner money. We had £6ew at 16-1, and that was it, I was hooked. My first winning bet was Grittar in the 1982 Grand
National, a race which over the years has proven to be very profitable for me with wins from West Tip, Mr Frisk, Rough Quest,Red Marauder, Amberleigh
House & Auroras Encore all adding to the Priestley bank roll.

My favorite horse has to be Barnbrook Again, a very versatile horse who took to fences really well winning the 1989 & 1990 Queen Mother Champion Chase.
The 1990 Grand National was my biggest winning race as I backed Mr Frisk to win and I also had the straight tricast in the race! My best and biggest
winning single was Red Marauder in the 2001 Grand National. I had been talking non stop about him winning it and backed him at all rates from 66-1
down to the S.P.

Away from horse-racing I support League 1's Peterborough United, coach my son's Under 14's football team and walk the families two dogs, Pink and Peaches.

For those of you interested in such things I celebrate my birthday in August which makes my star sign Leo and I was born in 1970 which was the Chinese
year of the Dog.

On January 5th 2016 I was diagnosed with CKD end stage renal failure. My BP was 250/150 I was told my GFR(Kidney function) was 10% which meant Dialysis
and or transplant. My eldest son Simon offered to be a live donor as of today he's passed all the relevant tests and we are awaiting a date for
the transplant. There are 5000 people inc 66 children in Britain waiting for a Kidney transplant, there are 65million people with 2 kidneys living
here. You only need 1 please consider to help save a life or improve the quality of someones life by being a donor. 30 people a year die whilst
on the transplant waiting list!!